Serendipity
by Annitha
Summary: Canon-AU."Serendipity is the gift of finding things we did not know we were looking for." Red is a strong yet fragile young woman that deals with her curse and past actions, doing her best to help her friends. Robin is a strong yet haunted young man that deals with his curse and past and wants to do nothing more than protect his family. Their paths intertwine.(RedxOC Robin Hood)
1. Chapter 1

My first go in the OUAT fandom: I love Red and wanted to write something with her. This chapter has some minor spoilers taken from episode 1x16. As for my OC, I think he might fit in in the canon. I'll try to keep his character and story as aligned as possible. Hope you guys like it.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time.

_Prologue_

It was dusking. She was huddled in front of the fire of their improvised camp, trying to bring some warmth into her.

She was pensive. She was concerned for Snow and her disappearance, for Granny who didn't know where _she_ was and she was worried for their current situation as well.

They were camping at the skirts of a forest that she didn't know, almost at the boundaries of their realm. They were in a snowy field and had nothing but his long-journey sack, her own basket with some bread, cheese and a couple of utensils. They didn't have anything to cover themselves besides their cloaks.

It was going to be a long night..

_"Red, look out!"_

She jumped up, startled, at James' shout of warning and barely noticed the fired arrowed that was coming straight towards her. Her companion had been more vigil than her and dashed forward with his sword, deflecting the arrow onto a mound of snow nearby.

They both looked up and saw half a dozen of horsed men with flaming torches and another few running behind them with bows and arrows ready to launched.

Dread filled her at the sight: they were King George's soldiers.

"We need to move." James said, realising that they were outnumbered and not in the position to fight them back. "They found us."

They both ran towards the horse tied up to a tree and, thankfully, far from the arrows that were been thrown at them. The thunderous sound of approaching hooves warned them to avoid picking up their meagre belongings and to just head to safety.

Cloak billowing behind him, James dashed forward and untied the horse, ducking under an arrowed aimed to kill him and promptly mounted on its back and held his hand to her, ready to help on the horse as well.

Red turned around for a second. The small army was approaching fast and they wouldn't be shaken off so easily. They were soldiers, maybe trained scouts that could track down anything even in the darkness of the woods.

Running away wouldn't be the wisest choice.

She looked up at James, concern flickered in his eyes when he noticed her hesitancy.

'He is the only one that can find her...' she thought, 'He has to flee. Just him.'

He had to get away: he was Snow's best chance. _She_ had to let him get away.

"Go.!" she said, looking at him as arrows flew around them, "I'll take care of them."

"Red, I'm not leaving you!" he retorted.

"Find Snow!" she urged, trying to make him understand the important matter here. She started to back away from the horse, giving him space to depart. "That's all that matters: find her!"

They exchanged a fleeting glance. Red saw the concern in his eyes linger as resolution slowly appeared. She smiled slightly, knowing that the prince cared for her safety as a friend and trusted her to help him and Snow.

"What are you going to do?" he asked, straightening up. He glanced at the approaching soldiers as he pulled the horse's reins.

She looked up in the sky and saw the clouds disperse, revealing a shiny moon.

A full moon.

Ignoring the fleeting, ever-present sense of fear that gripped her at the sight of the full moon, she steeled herself and looked at James again, determination in her eyes.

"I'm giving you a head start." she replied, pulling the hood down and unlacing her cloak.

James stared at her for moment and then his gaze shifted to the soldiers again. He seemed to be debating with himself whether to leave her alone or not. After one last look at her, a look that seemed to say -_Be Safe_- and a trustful nod, he took off amidst the shower of arrows.

Red watched him leave, knowing in her heart that he will find Snow and dropped the cloak to the ground. The effect was immediate: she felt the wolf inside her rise up.

She let out a deep breath as she allowed her hidden power to take over. A new resolve filled her now: she wasn't scared of the wolf. If there had been one good thing of her encounter with Quinn and her mother, it was probably the fact that she now accepted her power and knew how to control it without being controlled by it.

She turned around to face the soldiers and started to run.

She could almost hear the thoughts that ran through the soldiers' minds and she speeded towards them.

They would wonder why a young woman was throwing her life away to save a Prince that has fled.

They would wonder why said woman's eyes were glowing gold and why she was... shifting form..

And then...

There would be no more thoughts..but just an howl.

-:-

The forest was silent.

Too silent.

He had lived in Sherwood for too long to not notice this unnatural silence. No birds' wings amidst the trees, no scurrying of small animals or soft steps of larger ones.

All was quiet.

Will turned to him and shot him a concerned look beneath his hood, noticing the eerie silence as well.

"It's not just the snow, is it?" he asked softly, "It seems as though this part of the woods..is dead."

"No..it's not natural." he replied, looking around, taking in the white landscape in front of him among the throng of skinny, dark trees and shrubs. "Life seems to have evaded this place."

"Maybe it's due to her... the Queen." Will whispered the last word as though someone was listening.

"It might be.." he conceded, crouching down on the snow. "We _are_ getting close to her realm..but.." He examined the ground, looked forward and frowned.

"But...?" Will asked, looking at him.

"It looks as though that the few living beings here -_very_ few, by the looks of these trees- have escaped quite fast. If you look carefully, the snow is not levelled. The snowflakes that fell a few hours ago have been enough to cover the tracks on the surface but not completely."

Will stared at him as he stood up, straightening the bow and quiver on his back.

"What?" he asked weary of his gaze.

"You're spending definitely too much time on your own doing these scouting trips." replied the brown haired man with a smirk. "You're turning into some sort of...huntsmen"

"And that's bad? These skills allow me to bring food back home and-"

"To keep all of us safe." Will cut in, sobering up and looking at him. "I know. _We_ all know that. I'm just worried for you: you keep wandering off on your own ever since-"

He turned to his side with a sharp turn, abruptly interrupting Will.

"Did you hear that?" he asked, keeping his voice as low as possible.

"What? No..I didn't-" Will replied in the same tone but stopped speaking as he held out his hand.

They stood in silence, taking in every sound and movement around them. Between the rustling of the wind among shrivelled trees and leaves, they heard a distant noise. It was steady and approaching them fast.

Sharing a glance, they dashed soundlessly towards some large trunk trees and stood behind them, using their darks cloaks to hide. They could never know if someone could see them.

The noise became closer and more distinct.

"Horsemen." Will muttered.

"Soldiers." he corrected him, recognizing the horses regular, heavy thread.

"Why are they here? We're afar from any town and the closest village is miles away."

"They're looking for someone." he replied, turning to glance at his companion. "Only a searching party would venture in almost no sun-light: a well-trained, searching party that knows the area. And, by the heavy sound of the horses' hooves, they're also with weapons and armours."

"Whoever would they be looking for out here?" Will demanded through gritted teeth. "They can't be looking for you! We've been here for not even a day..!"

"Who knows?" he remarked darkly. It never crossed his mind that the borders of the forest on the opposite side of their realm could be patrolled.

"Come on... Sheriff's not _that_ smart yet.."

"Could be the Prince's idea.."

"_He's_ not _that_ smart either."

Shooting an exasperated look at Will, he turned to listen again. The soldiers were riding fast.

"We have to find out where they're going and where they're from." he stated,straightening up. He was soon stopped by Will's hand on his arm.

"Are you insane?!" he exclaimed, "By the sound of it, they must have been at least a dozen of them. We'd be outnumbered in a minute."

"I don't want to fight them" he explained turning around to face him, "I want to know what they're up to. They're riding south and they have come from..who-knows-where. We have to be sure that they're not after me-us." He quickly corrected himself, although he knew that he was the criminal here..

Will's hand was still on his arm and he felt the grip tighten slightly. He knew that the other man understood his reasons.

"We have to be sure, Will. One of us should stalk the soldiers while the other should go back and see from where they have come." He saw that the brown haired was going to retort so he went on speaking. "We have left our camp site abandoned for most of the day. We left our tents there and if they have found them, they might have also followed our tracks to the cabin where we have our equipment and bags. We don't know how _many_ they are, Will. We cannot let this pass easily. We have to be sure that no one is going to the base."

Will's eyes flickered with fear for a moment and he was sure that the man was thinking about his younger sisters' safety.

"All right." Will accepted. "Then-"

"I will follow the soldiers. You will follow their tracks backwards." Will looked at him sourly.

"And why is that?

"Who's the best archer and tracker?" he asked in return.

Will rolled his eyes.

"Why did I even bother to ask...?" he muttered.

He responded with a crooked smile.

"I will just follow them and see what they are doing. You retreat their tracks and see where they have come from; go to the camp site and take all off our belongings. We will meet at the cabin tomorrow night or, at most, morning of the next day." He put a hand on Will shoulder. "All right?"

"All right." Will replied, moving his hand to his shoulder and giving it a small squeeze. "Be careful."

"You too."

They took a step back each and pulled their hoods further over their heads and straightened their bows and weapons. With a final glance, they both turned around and sprinted in opposite directions.

He looked behind just once, watching Will run down a path and he silently prayed whichever heavenly power to let his friend be safe.

He dashed forward, being careful not to make noise or leave deep tracks in the snow. He could still hear the sound of heavy hooves not too far from him. He had to keep up.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of yellowish-white against a tree trunk. He sighed as he immediately recognized the tattered poster on it. It was an old one: his very first one. This poster had been replaced in the past year with a new one that added new crimes on his head.

His painted face was sombre beneath the words:

_WANTED – DEAD OR ALIVE_

_FOR CRIMES AGAINST THE KING: TREASON, TREACHERY_

And then, the name they used to call him nowadays.

_ROBIN HOOD_


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 1_

_Beware, so long as you live, of judging men by their outward appearance_

_-Jean de la Fontaine-_

_-:-_

He was running as fast as he could.

The horsemen had suddenly taken to ride faster: the sound of hooves was barely audible to him.

He didn't quite understand the reason of this sudden change of pace. He had been following them from afar for almost an hour and they had seemed to ride cautiously. He had come so close that he could he make out their figures through the thick of the woods and had been counting them to estimate their number when they suddenly took off.

He was certain that they were a searching party now. One look had been enough.

They were soldiers in full armors and chain mails, carrying swords or spears and prepared for a long journey: he had caught a glimpse of rucksacks strapped to their horses' sides.

Some horses carried more than one man and he recognized the additional soldiers as ground scouts: they were men that, when approaching the enemy, would go on foot and trace the tracks on the ground. The latter were armed with sturdy bows or crossbows and quivers full of arrows. He also noticed that they were carrying black pouches, hung to their belts: they had to be filled with grease. They would throw flaming arrows: scouts usually used this method to force the enemy into the open.

'Whoever is their enemy, prey or hunted, it would have a rough time to get away unharmed..' he thought grimly.

What concerned him the most, though, was the crest engraved on the soldiers' armors.

It was a crest that he had never seen before.

Will had been right: neither the Sheriff of Nottingham or Prince John -or _King_ John as he called himself these days- were so long-sighted to set patrolling men on the far boundaries of the kingdom.

They weren't the Queen's men either: he had seen them sometimes during his trips and they were armed in black with heavy metal armors and helmets with black plumes.

There were many kingdoms in these lands but only few had enough wealth and resources to send soldiers away for long trips. Their lands were tortured by multiple battles either between kingdoms or against ogres and goblins. Only rich realms could afford to send a dozens soldiers away rather than leaving them to protect their lands and towns: there weren't many that had that luxury..

He vaguely remembered that there was a nearby king called Midas who had the gift of turning anything into gold with a touch of his hand. He had heard rumors about him obtaining an alliance with another nearby kingdom.. -was it thanks to an arranged marriage of his daughter? He tried to concentrate and remember more and try to recall the kingdom's coat of arms, when something caught his attention.

It was a fleeting scent, a waft that came to him with the breeze. It was completely foreign to the woods. He was confused: what was it?

It smelt like... He couldn't find any way to describe it. Warm bread and fruits.. and flowers and honey...and something else he couldn't define. It was a heady scent that enveloped him, giving him a sense of calm.

He tried to take it in again, but it was gone now. He barely had time to muse about it when he heard loud noise. He stopped abruptly, skidding in the snow.

He felt a shiver run down his spine when he recognized the sounds that came from afar. It was as though he was reliving one of his old nightmares. Images and memories flooded his mind all together before he could stop them.

_Screams. Yells of help and mercy._

_People were fleeing in every direction away from him. Some came straight towards him, waving spears, sticks, rusty swords..._

_Snapping of bones. Tearing of flesh._

_Men, women, children: it didn't matter. The remains were shreds of clothes and useless weapons._

_Blood. Warm, flowing...tempting.. He was standing in the middle of a red pool..._

_A howl._

He gasped and took in a deep breath of chilly air. His eyes looked up and he saw the full moon emerging though the clouds. His heart started to beat faster but he tried to regain his composure.

He looked in front of him and shut his eyes.

He needed to focus, to clear his head. _This_ wasn't the moment to loose his mind.

'It was just a coincidence.' he thought, 'It's the woods: there are wolves everywhere...and I am here.'

He took a couple more deep breaths before running off again. He darted forward, avoiding low branches and tree roots in the pale light.

The yells were still audible and were getting louder as he approached them. He could hear the horses neigh nervously and the sound of metal -swords probably- clashing.

Who were the horsemen fighting against? Could they have found their prey?

He jumped across a high patch of snow and a cold gust of wind hit his face. He smelt ash and grease: the men had used fire arrows.

He realized that he was coming close to a clearing: the noise was loud and clear now. He kept running and lowered his hood more on his head.

He barely reached the trees coasting the clearing that another gust of wind hit him and his stomach churned at the new scent he caught.

Blood. Fresh blood.

He ran to trees, breathing with his mouth to keep the stench of blood away. He peered past a trunk into the clearing and the sight that he saw froze the blood in his veins.

_A wolf._

One large, black wolf was attacking the horsemen. And being attacked in the meantime.

Was that their prey? A hunting party _that_ big to find one lone wolf?

"What could you have done?" he whispered softly. He couldn't imagine what evil the wolf might have done to deserve such an attention.

He scanned the clearing and saw bodies scattered around. He continued to breath with his mouth as he saw men lying in the snow, red imprints and streaks around them. He saw that some were still while others were moaning for their wounds. He saw that their armor and chain mails were shredded and blood oozed out of them, staining the snow crimson.

He ignored his churning stomach as the sight and stench of blood attacked him again and turned to the fight.

There were six men around the wolf: all their horses had long fled.

He hadn't been wrong in counting them: they were more than a dozen. The ones left standing carried swords, spears and crossbows.

He watched as a man with a crossbow aimed at the wolf. The animal jumped forward, tearing the weapon out of the man's hands and crushing it as though it was a twig. It launched itself and slashed the man with a powerful hit of its claws. The man crumpled to the ground and it turned, dashing through the men, avoiding attacks and preparing to attack again.

It was then that he noticed the strangeness of its action.

He had witnessed wolves hunt or attack when in danger. They behaved instinctively biting with their fangs and clawing roughly.

This wolf was behaving.. differently.

He watched it carefully. Its fur was matted with snow and blood and red liquid smeared its fangs and snout. It was leaving bloody prints on the snow as it ran, twisting and turning among the men, avoiding blows. A man with a spear launched himself but the wolf avoided him and attacked a man with a crossbow.  
He suddenly realized what it was doing.

The wolf was studying the men and preparing its attacks.

His eyes widened when he grasped the wolf's method. He noticed that all the men left standing had spears. The ones with swords were all lying in the snow. The last one with arrows was collapsing now, yelling as blood spurted from his chest.

The wolf was acting...intelligently. First the men with metal swords: the ones that could endanger it the most. Then the ones with bows: the ones that could attack at long distance. Then all the others.

'No wolf is that intelligent..' he thought, heart thumping in his chest, 'Could it be..._Another one_?'

That would explain the hunting party..

Another one.._Another_.

That would be the first time for him..

His musings were interrupted when he saw a man rise from the snow, wielding a sword. He was bleeding profusely from a leg but nevertheless, he stood up. The soldier lifted the sword high and moved his arm. The wolf was still darting around the remaining men.

He understood what was going to happen and reacted before he could even think.

He stepped into the clearing.

-:-

She had badly estimated their number.

They had been fourteen, armed with bows, crossbows, spears and swords.

She had run and slashed , bit and clawed and now there were only four of them. Unfortunately, these men didn't give up as she had hoped. In other occasions, after she had taken down a part of them, men would flee for their lives.

But these soldiers were different. They were attacking her from every direction, spears high over there head and yelling: they seemed to be terrified and determined to death at the same time.

She backed away after avoiding a spear to her flank.

Her first objective was to delay them from getting to James and she had accomplished that during her previous attacks: she had scared all the horses and caused them to escape in fear.

She had stopped the soldiers that had tried to run after the Prince and those who had attempted to stop the horses.

What she hadn't expected was that all the men would have set to attack her at once. She had to be grateful for her reflexes and for the fact that none of them had silver weapons otherwise she'd be dead. The soldiers weapons had, at times, hit her but no wounds appeared. She knew that when she turned back to herself, she wouldn't have any scars but only feel sore.

But now, there were more pressing matters to think about.

She was tiring out and she had to take the soldiers down fast.

Her control was much better than before and she could 'see and think' while being a wolf but that required constant concentration both mentally and physically.

If she got tired, her control could vary and she didn't want this to happen. Not now that she was surrounded by bodies of barely breathing men and blood.

The blood was _tempting_ her..

The scent was intoxicating. She could feel something tickling at the end of her throat whenever she breathed and it took all her control to keep _those_ wolf instincts at bay.

She backed away, eying the four men in front of her who were studying her every move just like she was studying theirs.

Suddenly, one of them launched himself forward and threw his spear at her. She dodged it, snapping the wood in half with her claws and attacked the man. He yelled as she sank her fangs in his shoulder and fell to the ground. The other men yelled and rushed to attack as well and she swiftly ran away from them.

Had it been darker, she could have had a chance to take them by surprise, hiding in the shadows, but with the full moon, the clearing was flooded in white light, giving the men a perfect view.

She was dodging another spear when the wind rose and she was hit by a scent that she didn't recognize. Puzzled, she jumped on a high pile of snow, distant from the men and sniffed the air only to be hit with that mingle of odors again.

It was pine trees, the fresh scent of pines in the woods in spring. Then, the smell of leather, the soft and light kind. Then there was something else...it was deep and heady but she couldn't recognize it.

Another gust of wind hit her and washed the scent away, bringing the smell of blood, sweat and earth. That shook her out of her stupor and she got ready to attack the other two men.

Attack that she didn't complete when she heard a whizzing sound and instinctively crouched down. She immediately turned to look behind her and heard a yelp of pain.

One of the men with a sword had gotten up and was going to launch his sword at her. He was behind her and she had been so engrossed by the fight that she hadn't noticed him.

Said man had an arrow sticking out of his neck now.

Surprise didn't even cover what she was feeling now. She snapped her head to the other side, in unison with the two remaining men and saw a figure standing a hundred or so feet from her.

She couldn't see who it was or make out any feature.

She only saw a dark hooded figure with a cloak and brandishing a long bow. She had to admit that the archer had some outstanding skills: he had managed to hit the soldier in the only spot where he didn't have a chain mail and under the moonlight.

Why had he helped her?

She knew that he wasn't a friend or someone that she knew. She only smelt blood and the previous mingle of scents. She hadn't smelt any familiar odor.

The other men broke out of their stupor at being attacked by another side and rushed towards her. She jumped out of the way and glanced at the archer who was loading another arrow.

A sudden realization made her blood freeze.

Could it be a huntsman?

Huntsmen were generally neutral but some were foes for everyone. That type were mercenaries, used during battles, professional murders and skilled archers and fighters

Some hunted for gain and were offered riches for killing monsters that destroyed crops and livestock or could be sold off like a trophy.

Monsters like wolves.

A merciless huntsman could have decided to take advantage of the fight. With only two men that were afar and her, a large black wolf in a white snowy field bathed in moonlight, it was an easy catch.

She dashed forward, avoiding both the soldiers and heard another arrow whizzing. She heard a gurgled moan and understood that another man had fallen.

She turned her head back. The remaining soldier was fleeing for his life now: he was heading to the woods, opposite to where she was. She looked up and saw the archer run forward, taking another arrow.

Without thinking anymore, she dashed away. Thankfully, her cloak was at the far end of the clearing and it was darker there. She ran as fast as she could and blended into the shadows. She was sure that no one, not even the archer could see her.

She crawled under her cloak and waited for its magic to work; moments later, she was standing on her feet.

She winced as she started to run to the darker side of the woods: all her muscles were screaming with strain and her body felt heavy. She turned around just in time to see the last soldier fall for another arrow.

The archer was running in her direction but couldn't seem to see her.

Another gust of wind hit her and brought the mingle of odors again. Her eyes widened when she realized that this was the archer's scent.

Ignoring her aches, she ran into the woods.

-:-

_What had he done?_

He ran across the clearing, taking another arrow and sending it through the last soldier's heart. The rush of guilt and appall that had coursed through his veins after throwing the first arrow, intensified.

_What was he doing?_

He had just murdered three soldiers. Three men that had done nothing to him. And yet, he had killed them with cold blooded precision.

All because he saw the wolf in danger. He had acted instinctively, without thinking at all. He found himself throwing the arrow before he even realized the consequences of his action.

And now the wolf had disappeared.

Gritting his teeth, he walked over to the fallen soldiers and pulled his arrows out of them, cleaning the blood off on the snow and on their cloaks before putting them back in his quiver.

He looked around but he didn't see anything. He had lost sight of the wolf after he had started running and had been too concentrated on the remaining soldiers to keep track of its movements.

He walked towards the darker part of the clearing, the last where he thought he caught a glimpse of the wolf. Maybe he could find some tracks..

'And then what..?' he thought, 'What do I do? _What am I going to do?_'

He had to think this through. He had attacked some foreign soldiers because he thought that a hunted wolf was...like him.

It had been too intelligent, too cunning to be a simple animal. It seemed to be thinking a strategy to take down every soldier with each attack. It must have been..someone like him.

Someone who knew about the curse. Someone who knew how to keep _those_ instincts hidden..

Someone who just knew what it felt like to be..like _that_.

Someone who _could_ understand.

But then, maybe he was just disillusioned. He had been hoping for so long to meet another one..

His parents hadn't had the chance to warn him about the curse: his father hadn't been there to teach him how to control it.

Friar Tuck had helped him as much as he could when he had appeared in his village, barely fourteen year old and with no knowledge of how to live or protect his loved ones. He had used, and still uses, his vast knowledge, his relentless goodness and bravery to help him. Risking his life at times but never giving up.

Even when Robin was the first to give up on himself.

Only three people knew about him: one had died, one was as good as dead to him and the other was Friar Tuck.

But nevertheless, it wasn't enough. He had never voiced it loudly to anyone but even though he was surrounded by companions that cared for him, loved him as family and that he cared for and protected as his own family, it wasn't enough for him.

His childish hopes were slowly growing into desperation. Deep down, a wrenching loneliness was hollowing him out.

He turned to his side and took a deep breath to clear his mind. The smell of blood reached his nostrils and he tried to block the scent off.

He had to concentrate: he didn't need any distractions now.

He needed answers.

Whether the wolf was really like him or not, he had to find it. It wasn't just childish hopes now: it was a way to find peace of mind.

In the good or bad, he would get an answer to his questions and then..he could stop searching.

Without further thoughts, he started retracing the wolf's tracks, venturing in the dark part of the clearing where the moonlight was scarce or absent.

He came to a point where the tracks were jumbled. He couldn't make them out clearly but it seemed as though paws were followed by...footprints. He tried to hide his elation; as much as he knew, the wolf could be setting him a trap rather than escaping.

He wasn't that naif to think that the wolf couldn't be evil and also cunning

He tried to catch a scent but the stench of the battlefield was too strong. He decided to follow the tracks as long as he could, relying on his instincts and senses.

He took off in the semi-darkness, cloak flying behind him. He lowered his hood and felt _it_ creep out. He closed his eyes for a second and felt rather than see the glowing flash beneath them. He opened them and looked forward.

'Game on.'

* * *

Yeah..Robin Hood is a wolf too.  
Hope you liked this chapter. Let me know with a review.. ;)


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